Balogach Sisters Are Supportive Of Each Other

Eleven years ago, Jessica and Becky Balogach started training as gymnasts at the Parkette National Training Center in Allentown. A couple of years later, the twins' younger sister, Sarah, joined them.

Now, at 18, the twins will graduate from Salisbury High School and embark on full scholarship college gymnastic careers next year. Sarah, 16, is a sophomore at Central Catholic High School. She will continue to train at the Parkette gym with eyes on the 1996 Olympic Trials.

Jessica and Becky both train and compete at the U.S. Gymnastics Federation's Level 9, which is two steps shy of the elite level. Sarah has been an elite for two years and competed last summer in the Olympic Trials at Baltimore. Most recently, she took her first international trip, to Korea, where she competed in the Pacific Alliance meet.

"Sarah learned things faster than me and Becky," Jessica said. "She probably has more natural ability. It doesn't make me mad that she went farther than us. We're all supportive of each other."

Becky said the difference in their status hasn't bothered her, either. "We still work together. We don't put each other down or say, `Ooh, I'm better than you."

Sarah said there has been no jealousy. "If they are jealous, they don't tell me."

Considering the natural closeness of twins, Sarah could actually feel like the outsider. But she said, "If we're in a fight, it's me and one of them against the other."

Next year, the matchups will be long-distance since Jessica will be attending Illinois State University and Becky will be at Auburn University in Alabama.

The twins went on a couple recruiting trips together, to West Virginia and Auburn. Becky said she felt at home at Auburn. In the recent NCAA championships, Auburn finished fifth. Illinois did not go beyond its regional championships.

Recently, Becky won the all-around in the 15-plus Senior Division at the USGF Regional Championships in Reading. Her previous best was a fifth place finish.

"I was confident I would get a scholarship because I've been working hard," said the 5-foot-4, 118-pound Becky, who will major in nutritional science. "All that goes into getting a full scholarship, how you do at the gym."

Jessie hasn't competed since she broke her arm in February. During the six weeks her arm was in a cast, she did a lot of conditioning on a stationary bike and treadmill, did sit ups and leg exercises and front tumbling tricks that didn't require her to use her arm.

"I really like the people at Illinois," she said, explaining that she sent the Redbird coaches a videotape of herself performing to initiate contact with them. "The rest of the team is made up of Level 9 gymnasts."

The 5-3-1/2, 117-pound Jessica wants to major in sports psychology.

Jessica and Becky took up gymnastics at age 7 when their parents, Barbara and Lawrence took them for lessons. Their older brother Charlie, now 22 and a bricklayer, never participated in gymnastics.

"We could've gone off and done different sports if we wanted to," Becky said. "But we chose gymnastics. It's fun."

The twins went to their senior prom last Friday night. Becky said that their five-hour daily workouts haven't kept them from maintaining a social life because "our social life is at the gym. Everyone is nice there."